August 27th, 2010 by
Ruth Jones
Each month we look at a specific community and digest the popular content covered by the media and discussed in a range of social forums. In August, we looked at the mobile space, comparing how the conversations differ, which organisations are getting attention and what is making the headlines.
After identifying and monitoring the influencers, we use a variety of free social tools, such as Twittertim.es, to pull out the popular stories. Today, TopGear’s blog post on the BBC’s battle to protect the Stig’s identity topped our community paper, receiving the most re-tweets in the mobile social media community. This attention was mirrored in the media, driving traffic to all the major news sites.

However, content doesn’t always cross over from the traditional media to the social media world. With both the traditional and social media communities growing and evolving, we’re committed to getting to know how they tick.
Next week, we’re publishing some insight into the mobile content space, tweet @becdaniel if you’re interested.
April 28th, 2010 by
Ruth Jones
News and journalist attendance is lighter than normal at InfoSec this year. But what is everyone at Infosec talking about? We’ve taken a look at the volume and dynamics of the conversations of 500 security influencers on Twitter
Here’s a snap shot of the top tweeted stories on the day:
Police Seize Jason Chen’s Computers – iPhone 4 leak – Gizmodo
Apple pursues the recovery of its ‘lost’ iPhone.
Verizon dubs sec researchers ‘narcissistic vulnerability pimps’ – The Register
Security researchers who expose flaws come under attack
Although there are two hashtags in use in conversations (#infosec and #infosec2010), Trendistic has shown a steady uptake of conversation since Sunday.
The peaks in conversation, which are unlikely to be a surprise, are taking place at 10am and 1pm, with the use of the #infoSec2010 hashtag showing an hourly posting of 18 tweets.
Not every vendor is sticking closely to the concept of a community and some – which we won’t name – are pimping corporate content, others are actively enticing conversation.
Here’s a snap shot of attendees that are engaging with each other:
GeorgeVHulme: Anyone have any good data on the status of the TSA airport biometric credential program? @securitytwits #infosec
kidko92 RT @ChetWisniewski: Happy 25th to Sophos at InfoSec Europe, and Sophos Security Chet Chat episode 7 is posted http://bit.ly/dtKnhQ
While only a fraction of the 12,000 information security professionals that were expected at the show are engaged on Twitter there’s no doubt that it has added an additional dimension to the show.
September 25th, 2009 by
Ruth Jones
TechCrunch’s policy on embargoes caused a ground swell of PR chatter last year, as it raised a question mark over whether the rest of the media would follow suit. Michael Arrington’s latest post, The Last Has Fallen, The Embargo is Dead has caused a stir once again. However, the headline isn’t reflective of the policy.
The fact is.. embargoes aren’t dead, TechCrunch just wants an exclusive and won’t honour embargoes offered to the wider masses. This is fair enough. Most PRs will have been told at some point, that their story will only be covered if that journalist can have it as an exclusive. PRs should therefore consider this during planning meetings when deciding on the best method for maximising a story.
Who will win the embargo tug of war has yet to be determined. Will more publications and bloggers follow TechCrunch. Or, can we collectively keep embargoes on the agenda? Robert Scoble’s post PR people: 10 ways to screw up @techcrunch’s embargo policy makes for interesting reading.
I do agree with Arrington’s sentiment that if we want embargoes to count, we need to punish those that break them. The question is, which PRs are brave enough to do this?
July 7th, 2009 by
Ruth Jones
As Speed HQ is set to be swamped by Harry Potter fans this evening, the World Wide Web will be flooded with Michael Jackson fans looking to get a glimpse of his funeral. The memorial service is expected to attract more attention than that of Elvis Presley and could become the biggest web event.
So, how will the internet cope? If reports that it collapsed as the news of Michael Jackson’s death broke are to believed, then it is unlikely. Whilst, TechCrunch summed up the web troubles, Interoute rightly points out, that it was not an Internet fail, but more a website capacity fail.
Although the service will be shown on five main US television networks, Internet uses are set to be logging on to check out the live streaming and latest reports. Facebook has teamed up with CNN, MySpace with AEG Live and various new sites, including The Guardian are ready to start live blogging from 4.00PM.
So, will the Internet fail? I doubt it, but you may see the odd whale.
April 24th, 2009 by
Ruth Jones
Oracle brass show tough love
Following one of the hottest technology acquisitions, Oracle’s senior management has expressed its tough love for Sun Microsystems’ products and people. The Register
Global hunt for hackers who infected 1.9m computers
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and Met Police are hunting a gang of Ukraine hackers responsible for a botnet that has apparently utilised more than 70 government departments and hundreds of large corporations. Financial Times
Susan Boyle YouTube Video
We might of had enough of Susan Boyle, but it doesn’t look like YouTube viewers have. Britain’s Got Talent video is on track to become the most popular video in the history of YouTube, amassing nearly 100 million views in its first nine days. Wired